Favourable weather conditions and increased rainfall resulted in increased crop and horticulture production and a jump in livestock numbers in 2011, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS).

Crops
Australia's largest crop, wheat, saw an increase in production by more than a quarter, up to 27 million tonnes in 2010-11. Rice and cotton crops rose significantly due to increased availability of irrigation, with production of barley, canola and sorghum also increasing. Mandarin and strawberry crops also thrived in 2011.

Livestock
Sheep and lamb numbers recovered from the long-term decline experienced up until 2009-10. This was due to an improvement in seasonal conditions, rebuilding intentions, high prices and strong demand.

Meat cattle numbers also increased significantly with producers retaining greater numbers of female cattle for herd rebuilding. Dairy cattle numbers followed suit, increasing mainly due to improved water availability in the main dairying regions and reports of increased confidence in the industry following falling prices in early 2009-10.

But it's not all good news....
While the majority of crops benefited from excellent seasonal conditions and rainfall, sugarcane, bananas, pineapples and pawpaws saw a marked loss of production due to the effects of flooding and Tropical Cyclone Yasi. Orange production levels continued the steady decline witnessed over the previous decade.

At the state level, Western Australia bucked the national trend with decreased production and livestock numbers for most commodities due to the driest conditions on record.